Infinite Loop —

The MacBook Air’s new processor

The MacBook Air has a new processor from Intel, and I don't know what it is. …

I'm getting a number of questions about the new processor in the MacBook Air, so here's my quick take on what this processor may be.

The first question that has to be answered about the CPU is which process is it made on. There's a possibility that it could be made on Intel's new 45nm process. Intel just launched 16 new 45nm desktop and server processors last week, and the company is set to launch the mobile portion of its 45nm line on January 20th. Given that the MacBook Air will be available in two weeks, it's possible that this it could sport a Penryn mobile processor.

One major concern with the new form factor will be cooling—the device appears to have no room for a real heatsink (much less a fan), and all of the components are very tightly packed. This being the case, a 45nm processor would be ideal, since it isn't hard to imagine that it would fare quite well at 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz with nothing but a heat spreader that's hooked to the case. But the big question about 45nm is availability. Will the new 45nm mobile parts be available in volume in "two weeks"?

The MacBook Air's processor (Image source: Apple)

If the processor is a 65nm part, then the task of sorting out what it's based on gets a tad easier. The new processor's specs most closely match the Intel Core 2 Duo LV L7700 (4M Cache, 1.80 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 17W TDP) and Core 2 Duo LV L7500 (4M Cache, 1.60 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 17W TDP). Intel would have cut down on the packaging by moving the processors to a solder-on design. Indeed, even if the processor is 45nm, it's still probably a solder-on, judging by the pictures of the tiny motherboard.

Speaking of the tiny motherboard, I have a prediction to make that I know will be unpopular and that I hope will prove wrong. There are a lot of "firsts" and "-ests" in the MacBook Air, in terms of form factor and reduced environmental impact. Furthermore, the manufacturing tolerances will be very tight. When you combine these facts with the well-known tendency of Rev A Apple products to have defects that are fixed in Rev B, then at the very least all MacBook Air early adopters should spring for AppleCare.

Now, understand that I'm not saying that the Rev A version of this will have problems—I'm just saying that there's a better-than-average chance that it will. So, as always, caveat emptor.